


The Phonenumber

by Im_not_crying_its_raining



Category: The Fortnight
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dating, F/F, Love, Slow Burn, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_not_crying_its_raining/pseuds/Im_not_crying_its_raining
Summary: What do you do when you finally get the phonenumber from the girl that you have loved for the past decade?
Relationships: Peyton Saunders/Luca Salinger
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1: The 10 digits

**Author's Note:**

> Dear readers! This is my first ever fanfic, so don't judge me to harshly. They're gonna be short chapters. I'm just playing with these wonderful characters from the webseries: The Fortnight, created by Cory Xenos, so they're not mine! Go check it out on YouTube!

Here I am, sitting in my driveway afraid to get out of the car. Afraid that if I did get out, the past two weeks would all feel like a dream. But there is that small reminder, burning a hole in my pocket. The whole way home I felt it there. The ten digits scribbled on a piece of paper. The digits that could potentially change my life. Do I call her? Or just a text? Do I wait until after the reunion?  No no no, the answer to the last question is the only one I’m sure about. I won’t let Victor or Isabelle stop me from taking this chance. For now I will let the paper keep sitting in my pocket. 

I should really call Kacy about the script and see what she needs me to do.

  
  


_ There she goes. Driving away from me again. Ten years ago it hurt too much to do anything, but turn away. But now? It takes everything in my body to not go running after her. Being left behind again almost rips my heart out. Yes I gave her my number, I made my intentions clear, but until she calls me or even sends a text I’m in the dark as to what she really wants. For now all I can do is pack my bags to go stay with Jaylin for a while.  _

  
  


I’ve made it inside, but only just. I sank into the couch as soon as I got in. My mind is racing. Did I mention it hurt? Driving away from Luca? Luca, how can one name bring so many different feelings at once? The happy ones from the past two weeks, the heartbreaking ones from before. The happy ones from college, the terrible feeling of seeing her in tears? I won’t let her break my heart again, I can’t. It would just break me apart further than it ever has. But the chance at a life with her? Where I’m allowed to say that she’s mine? It’s the feeling that I’ve dreamt of for the past ten years! As ever my mind is a mess. But I also know, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t take what was offered to me on a silver platter. All I have to do is make the call. 

_ It’s been a week. I’m starting to get worried. But then my phone rings. My heart jumps. It’s a number I haven’t seen in a while, but one i’ve had memorized for the past decade. It’s Peyton. I shake myself out of my daze before it’s too late. ‘Hey’ I say. But inside I think, hey?! Is that really how you’re going to start this conversation? Just saying hey? But it turns out hey is all it took. ‘You remember my number’ she says. ‘Of Course I did! I loved you! I could never forget it.’ There is a sigh on the other side of the line, I hope it’s one of relief. I hope she realizes that I really didn’t ever get over her. She was always on the back of my mind. The stupidest things made me go: Oh, I should tell Peyton! And then remembering that I couldn’t. A sad smile makes its way onto my face. Another sigh. ‘I’m glad you called.’ _ _  
_ _ ‘I almost didn’t, but I couldn’t break my own heart like that. I had to give us a chance.’ At that my heart does break. We both know what we want and we are both willing to fight for eachother. A tear drips down onto my arm, I hadn’t even noticed I started crying, but here I am. Realizing that I didn’t even give Peyton an answer yet, I wipe my cheeks dry and ask: ‘When and where? I’ll be there.’ _

‘Are you okay? You sound like you’re crying?’ ‘Not on purpose, I promise, I’m just really glad you called, you know.’ A weight lifts off my shoulders. We really are on the same path. We pick a date and time. I give her the address of a nice Italian place not far from where I live. 


	2. Date night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night, what to wear? What to wear!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, thanks for reading chapter 1, here is the next instalment in the lives of Peyton and Luca

_ Fresh out of the shower, I’m standing in my room, looking at the mess that I’ve made. There are clothes everywhere. Do I wear a dress? Do I wear dress pants? Do I just go casual? I mean, when I looked up the place, it did say casual… I might just go for slightly ripped black jeans, red chucks and a black tank top with a red and black checkered flannel over top. That way if I get hot I get to show off my arms. I’m getting nervous now. I don’t even know why! Yet here I am, dressed and ready to go hours before we decided to meet. Pacing up and down the living room, I’m sure I’m slowly driving my roommates crazy. I decide to walk to my car before they decide to throw me out on my ass. I put on my sunglasses, make sure I’ve got everything I need in my pockets, and shout a goodbye back into the apartment when I step out the door. _

I’m trying to decide what to wear, but I can’t make up my mind. Is she feeling the same way as me? Having doubts about what to wear, what to say, how to act? My god! This is almost as, if not more nerve wracking than calling her! I decide on a casual look. Nice dark green pants, black Vans, a black tank and to finish off my look I tie a black and green flannel around my waist. It’s almost time to go, my hands are starting to get sweaty. ‘Come on Peyton! Don’t be such a nervous idiot! You like her, she likes you, what could go wrong?’ ‘You know what, don’t answer that.’ Nice, now I’m talking to myself. After rubbing my hands together, I grab all my stuff and head for the restaurant. Since it’s only a short distance away, I decide to walk there. Soon I turn a corner and see the sign above the door: ‘Il mare Marie’ My hands start shaking a bit, I put it in my pocket to stop it from showing. As I get closer, I see her, my Luca, sitting across the street from the restaurant on a wall separating the boardwalk from the beach.

_There she is! I can see her walking towards me, a slight hesitation in her step before crossing the street. I know it’s only been 2 weeks, but it feels so much longer. The moment she is within my reach, I wrap my arms around her and take a deep breath in. I feel safe again. ‘Hey’, I say, once again starting our conversation on such a simple word. We both take a step back. ‘We match’ Peyton says. I laugh, because of course we do, I wouldn’t want it any other way. ‘Shall we?’ she asks me. And with matching outfits and matching smiles we cross the street. As soon as we enter the restaurant, I realize Peyton has been here a lot. ‘Ciao bella! It’s been too long since we’ve seen you here!’ ‘I know, I’m sorry i meant to visit, but I got stuck working.’ ‘All good, my sweet, just find your seat and I will be right there with your breadsticks.’ I smile. ‘You’ve been here before.’ ‘Maybe once or twice? It’s some of the best pizza I’ve had in a long time.’ ‘Even better than Papa Keno’s?’ ‘I don’t know, maybe? Well, now I’ve got you with me, so I know it’s gonna be the best pizza I’ve ever had.’ My cheeks heat up. Of course she goes and says_ _something flipping adorable like that._

She starts blushing, I feel accomplished, she might be on my level of nervousness yet. I find my regular table, but this time it’s set for two. I asked them to put a candle and a single red rose on the table. I hope she is at least somewhat impressed. ‘Is that for me?’ she says, pointing to the rose. ‘Yeah, it is, thought you might like it.’ She picks it up and sits down at the table. I quickly decided to join her. Not soon after, Carlos comes by to bring the breadsticks and the menus. ‘Thank you Carlos, just the usual for me please and a bottle of sparkling water.’ He looks over to Luca. She keeps her eyes on me for a second. ‘On first name basis with the staff, a usual order, breadsticks on the table without even saying anything? You’ve been here more than once or twice!’ Carlos starts laughing. ‘Thát’s what she told you? At one point I felt like she might move in here! Don’t let that sweet smile fool you!’ Now it’s my turn to start blushing. Luca looks at me with a look of surprise in her eyes. Then she shakes her head and orders a pepperoni and ham pizza. After delicious pizza, great conversation and a shared plate of tiramisu, we get ready to leave. With a wave to the kitchen and a hug from Carlos, we are on our way. ‘You wanna take a walk with me? I don’t feel like going home yet.’ Luca smiles, ‘I was just about to ask you the same thing. To the beach?’ I nod. When we get to the sand she takes off her shoes and walks to the shoreline, looking out over the water. For a second I stand there and just admire her. I join her at the shore and link our arms. We stroll down the beach for a while before she pulls me a little higher up the beach. 

_ When I notice the sun is almost down, I know exactly what I want to do. The night sky is very clear, perfect for a little stargazing. I tell her as much. Peyton takes her flannel from around her waist and drapes it on the sand, such a gentlewoman. She lays down and motions for me to join her. Finally I’m back in one of my favourite positions. Close enough that I can hear her heart just about to beat out of her chest. I turn to look at the sky and just in time too. The second my eyes are focused on the stars, a falling star crosses the sky above us. I squeeze my eyes closed and make a wish. ‘Did you see that?’ ‘See what?’ ‘The falling star’ ‘I, uhm, I was a bit distracted...’ I turn around to look at her, a blush clearly visible on her face. ‘Peyton! You’re supposed to look at the stars, you know.’ ‘I know, but I rather enjoy the view down here. At that moment there is nothing I want more than to kiss her. So I do. Our lips meet and it feels like coming home. A sigh falls from her lips. I catch it with the next kiss. After a couple of minutes, I lay back down and feel her pull me close to her. Silence. But I just can’t stop myself. ‘Would you like to go on another date with me?’ A beat. Is she really going to make me wait? Another beat. ‘Yes’ she says. ‘Yeah?’ ‘Yes, I would love to, now stop talking and look at the stars with me’ I make a zipper motion with my hands, indicating that I won’t say anything more. We lay there for a bit longer, content to just spend some time together.  _


	3. Going home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The things that happen at the end of a first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, to my supportsystem on the other side of the globe, for all the help in getting this story published! One chapter at a time. :*

_ When it starts getting really dark out, Peyton and I start heading back towards the boardwalk. She waits for me as I put my shoes back on, to walk me to my car. ‘Sorry just got to shake the sand out. I won’t be long’ I say. She just smiles and makes a dismissive motion with her hand. When I’m almost done she turns away from me and starts walking. I get up and I make a bit of a gutsy move, I grab her hand in mine. ‘Hey’, she says and smiles. Here we are, walking hand in hand, down the street towards my car. Just like when we were laying down together on the beach it feels like home, like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I feel safe when I’m around her.  _

When we get to the car I really don’t feel like letting her go. Luca pulls her hand away from me, but I hold on. I pull her back to me and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Luca giggles. ‘What did you do that for?’ ‘Just 'cause, I just couldn’t let you leave without one. I had a really nice time tonight.’ ‘Me too, I’m glad you took me here and you were right, the best company makes for the best pizza.’ I let out a laugh. ‘Let’s not wait too long for you to take me on that date, alright? I wanna see you again soon.’ Luca nods, ‘I will text you when I get my interview schedule for the next week.’ ‘Okay, drive safe now and text me when you get home.’ ‘I will. Now the sooner you let me get in the car the sooner we get to see each other again.´ She laughs, and that´s quickly becoming one of my favourite sounds again. I let her go and watch her get in the car. She waves back at me and drives off. I start my walk home. As soon as I get in the door, my bravado from before leaves my body. I kick off my shoes and face-plant into my bed. The stressing out I was doing last night really left me without much sleep. I change into my pyjamas and crawl into bed. I think about texting Luca, but that feels like it might be a bit soon, doesn´t it? But then my phone dings, it’s a text from her.  **Hey, I had a really good time tonight! I will text you when I know my plans for the coming weeks! Sleep well! Xx** So it wasn’t too soon. I’m quick to send her a text back:  **Me too, ttys, good night! xx** I put my phone on the charger and close my eyes, dreaming of the good time we had tonight and all the future good times we will have. 

_I get home and close the door behind me. I can hear my roommates laughing in the kitchen. I decide to see if I can scare them a little. I tiptoe to the kitchen door and peek around the corner. They both have their backs turned to me, so I sneak up behind them and give a shout. Jaylin almost falls off their chair and Kacy just busts up laughing at their reaction. Jaylin looks back at me with the scariest look I’ve ever seen them give. ‘Luca!! Why would you do that? I could have been drinking or something!’ ‘I know, but you weren’t’ I smile, I’m so glad I have friends like these two, to come home to. They don’t know who I went out with tonight, just that I did. ‘How was your night? Do we get to know who this mystery person is?’ Kacy asks. ‘The most amazing one I’ve had in quite a while actually.’ I decide I won’t tell them just yet. I will talk to Peyton first, see how she feels about me telling them about ‘us’, if there really is an us to talk about. Which I don’t think there is yet. I bid the 2 lovebirds goodnight and go to my room. I grab my phone and shoot off a text to Peyton._ **Hey, I had a really good time tonight! I will text you when I know my plans for the coming weeks! Sleep well! Xx** _I quickly get a text back:_ **Me too, ttys, good night!** _So, now all I have to do is make our next date at least as good as the one from tonight._

_ I decide to get some sleep, so I can think about it with a fresh mind in the morning.  _

_ The next morning when my alarm goes off, I really don’t feel like getting out of bed. I’m too comfortable laying in my nest of blankets. But I’ve got an interview today, so I better get my ass ready. I get back home from my interview later in the day and see a familiar car sitting in the driveway. Peyton is here? Right now? Oh my goodness. I check my hair and my face in the rearview mirror and take a deep breath. I give myself a quick pep talk. ‘Okay Luca, you’re okay. Just walk inside and act like a normal human being’ Another deep breath and I’m out of the car. As I go to unlock the door, it opens, revealing Peyton. ‘Hey’ ‘Hey’ We both smile. ‘I didn’t know you were coming over?’ I say. ‘Well, that makes two of us, because I didn’t know you lived here.’ I shoot her a guilty smile. ‘I know, I should’ve told you’ ‘That’s alright, I’m just glad you have a place to stay.’ _

Getting back inside means explaining what’s going on I guess. Because the moment we walk back inside together, a look of realization washes over Kacy and Jaylins’ faces. They stumble over their words trying to contain their excitement while asking us a bunch of questions. ‘When did this happen’ ‘Why are you smiling like that?’ ‘What did you do on your date?’ ‘Who asked who out?’ ‘Why didn’t you tell us anything?’ ‘How long were you planning on not saying anything?’ The last two questions make me feel a little bit guilty. This is Kacy we’re talking about, the one who supported me over the last few years, yet here I am, keeping things from her. Luca and I steal a glance at each other. She smiles and nods, indicating that I can tell them. 

I start with our last days at the cabin and Luca giving me her number, me almost being too chicken to call her. I tell them about me finally getting the courage to call her after over a week of radio silence. I tell them about our date, the nice pizza, the walk on the beach… I must get some sort of look on my face, because at one point, Kacy just starts laughing at me. ‘What?’ I ask. ‘Nothing,’ she says, ‘I’m just really glad you guys figured it out’ I take Luca’s hand and give it a squeeze. When I turn to her, she is already looking at me. ‘Me too.’


	4. Chocolate covered strawberries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting ready to impress your date... Might be harder than it looks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to my beta-reader on the other side of the world :D

_ Peyton squeezes my hand. I turn my head and look at her with a smile on my face. She smiles back. ‘Me too’ she says. I squeeze back, my smile grows wider. ‘Look at you two!’ Jaylin says ‘So adorable! I’m glad you guys figured yourselves out.’ I let go of Peyton's hand and hug Jaylin. ‘You know that’s partly because of you right?’ I whisper to them. They just hug me a little bit tighter, before letting go. When I step back I can see the other two just watching us. A grin on both of their faces. ‘We can totally go on double dates now!’ Kacy says. ‘I have to take this one out on a second date first’ I wink. ‘Speaking of, how is Wednesday?’ Peyton giggles. ‘Sure, if this one doesn’t make me do a rewrite or something.’ She says, nodding at Kacy. _

Inside I’m doing a happy dance. I know Luca asked me on the date already, but standing here in front of our friends, telling them about us, makes it feel just that little bit more real. I still have to tell Victor and Isabel, I shouldn’t wait too long, they might not like me too much if I did that.   
Kacy just starts laughing, ‘What makes you think you need a rewrite? You lived it, I’m not gonna make you change a thing.’ That makes me feel happy inside. Knowing my story is safe in her hands. I turn to Luca and grab her hand back in mine. ‘You wanna walk me out to my car?’ ‘Sure’ ‘Let me grab my stuff and I’m ready to go.’ She nods. I say goodbye to the other two and walk outside after Luca.   
When we get to the car she turns around and smiles at me. I get butterflies everytime she looks at me like that. I can’t help myself, all I can do is smile back. We hug. She makes me so happy. I tell her as much. ‘I know, I feel the same. There is nothing I wanna do more than to make you smile.’ ‘You know, the sooner you let me go, the sooner Wednesday will come, the sooner we can see each other again.’ She nods, ‘I just don’t feel like letting you go yet.’ So we stay there, hugging just that little moment longer. After a little while I do pull back so I can look at her face again. ‘I will see you soon, okay?’ ‘Okay.’ She steps back and I get behind the wheel. Before I drive off, I roll down my window. I start the car and when I get to the end of the street I stick my arm out the window and wave back to her. I can just make out her form standing at the end of the driveway waving back at me. 

_ I go back inside after Peyton turns the corner. My god, she makes me so soft. Here I am, wanting to run after the car again, even when I know I’m gonna see her again soon. When I get back to the kitchen Kacy and Jaylin are sitting there, looking at me with their arms crossed and serious faces on. I’m a bit taken aback by this ‘welcome’. After only a couple of seconds Kacy breaks. She busts up laughing, ‘you should have seen your face! You looked so scared for a second there.’ My shoulders relax again, I take a deep breath. I hadn’t even realized I stopped breathing. Jaylin walks up to me and pulls me into another hug. Kacy joins us. ‘We are so happy for you guys!’ ‘And we’re totally going on double dates now!’ I grin, ’I was actually going to ask you guys a favour. Could you not be here next Wednesday, because I was going to ask Peyton to come here, so I can cook for her.’ ‘Oh, okay, I see how it is,’ Kacy says, ‘first we let you stay with us and now you’re kicking us out of our own house. Very nice miss Salinger.’ ‘Don’t scare her!’ Jaylin says with a smile on their face. ‘Of course we will make ourselves scarce. I will take you on a date my love.’ ‘Thank you so much, I owe you one.’ ‘It’s fine! Don’t even worry your head about it. Just think about what you’re going to make her. It has to be something romantic… Oh! I know! Chocolate covered strawberries! You can even make them wear tuxedos!’ ‘Why would I want to do that?’ I ask. ‘Because, if you make the strawberries look dapper and you wear something dapper, who could resist you?’ They actually make a good point. ‘Okay, so dessert is covered, now what do I cook for the main course?’ ‘Well that one you’re going to have to figure out for yourself, I’m not gonna give you everything for free.’ Jaylin winks. ‘Yea yea, okay, I get the message, thank you for the help anyway.’ I walk to my room and sit in front of my mirror just thinking about what on earth I’m going to do to make our date special. _

I wake up, it’s finally Wednesday! I’m so ready for it to be tonight already. Luca and I have been texting back and forth these last couple of days, but I’m really looking forward to seeing her face again and being able to hold her hand. She told me last night to wear something a little bit more ‘dressy’ than what we wore last time, so I’m going to have to figure that one out. I decide to get out of bed, have some breakfast and then take a walk to waste a bit of time before I start stressing about what I’m going to wear tonight. 

_ Oh boy, it’s Wednesday _ ,  _ Peyton is coming over today! I had Jaylin help me with my ' _ _ Tuxedo-strawberries’ they came out awesome. I decided to sort of match my outfit to them. Black pants, red button up, some suspenders and my hair up. I’m so excited for tonight!  _

When I get back from my walk, I take a shower and start looking through my ‘dressy’ clothes, to see what I want to wear tonight. At the back of my closet I find a silky black jacket that I wore to the premiere of one of my shows. That will do. I decide to match it with a white blouse, not done all the way up of course, I smile at the thought of Luca seeing me in this outfit. I find some nice dark blue pants to go with my outfit. I let my hair dry naturally which means I end up with a little bit of a natural wave.

_ It’s just before seven when I hear a car pulling up the driveway. My heart jumps, that must be Peyton! I wipe away any non existing creases in my freshly ironed shirt and I walk to the door. Just in time too! She is standing with her hand raised, ready to knock. She keeps her hand there as her jaw goes slack. I can only imagine my face has done the same. She looks stunning! And those undone buttons? They might just be the death of me.  _


	5. Date at my place?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to join the girls while they're on their long expected date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks schatje for your help and encouragement. ykwya ;)

_‘Hey’ she_ _says. She does a little wave before dropping her hand. I smile and open the door a little further, ready to let her in. ‘Hey, you look, well, wow.’ Nice going Luca! She spends a little bit more time on her outfit and you turn into a blabbering_ _mess! Peyton just laughs at me. ‘Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself'. I realize we are still standing at the front door. I step back and motion for her to come in. 'Would you like anything to drink? I bought wine?' ‘Well, I drove here, so not too much alcohol tonight, but I would like a glass, thanks.’ ‘Of course! Just get yourself comfortable and I will be right back´ When I get to the kitchen I have to remind myself to breathe. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the night without embarrassing myself at least once. I take another deep breath and pour the wine before going back to the living room. I get a funny feeling in my stomach the moment I walk in. I can tell Peyton took off her shoes and curled up on the couch a little. The sight makes me so happy, it’s a sight I wouldn’t mind seeing much more often._

I hear a chuckle behind me. I turn and see Luca standing there. The wine in her hand. ‘What?´ I ask? ‘Nothing, just feels nice to see you there sitting on the couch, getting comfy’ I smile, I just can’t help it. ‘I know what you mean. It feels good to see you again without any people around. Speaking of, where did you ship them off to?’ ‘Haha, I don’t actually know, they’re out on a date. So it really is just us for the rest of the night’ She hands me the wine. ‘I don’t know if it's any good, I kinda just picked.’ My mind flashes back to the cabin. ‘That's what you said then.’ ‘Did I? Well I mean it, I never know, I just pick the bottle with the nicest label’ The thought of Luca in the wine aisle, looking at pictures just makes me laugh. ‘Maybe I should take you to a wine tasting sometime. Get you more than just pictures to go off.’ 

_ Did she just ask me on another date? We haven’t even started this one properly yet. ‘I mean, yeah, why not? Let’s see where tonight takes us, first?’ ‘Of course! I was just thinking out loud. I totally want to know what you made for dinner’ she says. ‘I just have to finish up the starter, but we’re in no hurry right? We can just sit here and chat and enjoy the wine for now right?’ ‘No, I don’t have anywhere to be.’ ‘Good’ I finally relax back against the couch a bit. ‘You really do look amazing tonight, I know it didn’t really come out before, but you kinda took my breath away’ ‘I’m sorry?’ ‘No! Don’t be sorry, I just got a little spellbound is all’ She smiles. In my head I go, Okay Luca, you’re doing alright, just keep breathing. ‘Did you do anything fun this past week?’ ‘Not really. I went grocery shopping, visited the animal shelter, took some walks, wrote some more’ ‘Wait, go back, the animal shelter? I thought you didn’t want to have any animals?’ ‘Well, I didn’t before, but after a while it gets a bit lonely, so I went there and just played with the cats. After a few visits one of the workers asked me if I had some free time to help out, so I did. I go there once every fortnight and give all the cats some extra tlc, you know, treats, love and cuddles ’ _

Oh my god, did I really just say that? Oh well. It’s true though, I give them all the TLC, every time I’m there. ‘Do you want to just hang out here for a second while I get everything ready for dinner?’ she asks me. ‘Sure, I’ll just be here.’ She goes into the kitchen and starts humming a song while I hear her banging around with something in there. I just sit back and think about planning our winery-date. I think about how I want to see Luca when I wake up, when I come home, when I go to sleep. I didn’t realize how quickly she found her way right back into my heart. I think about how, if I didn’t talk to her in the past week, it felt like my day wasn’t complete. I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I just want to be present right now and enjoy the company of this beautiful girl. Luca comes walking out of the kitchen with two plates in her hands. ‘Would you like to join me at the table?’ I get up from the couch and walk over. When I look at the plates, I see that she made us a beautiful caprese salad with some rocket and pine nuts on top. ‘What’s wrong? Why do you look so nervous?’ I ask her. ‘I don’t know. I don’t really cook anything fancy normally, just like pasta and rice and stuff.’ ‘Well, this looks amazing, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ She smiles at that and motions for me to sit down and joins me at the table. ‘I hope you like it, enjoy’ I tuck in quickly. ‘That’s delicious! You really don’t have to worry!’ After we finish the salad she excuses herself and goes back into the kitchen.

_ Phew, that was the first course. Only 2 more to go. Since the salad and the dessert both have the color red in them, I decided to go with ratatouille and couscous for the main. It’s a very easy dish it turns out, way easier than the movie makes it out to be… I just left it on the stove to stew for a bit and now I can finish it with some nice oil I found in the cupboard and I’m ready to roll. Jaylin told me to take the strawberries out of the fridge a little bit early so they’re not rock hard when we want to eat them. Smart move that. I finish setting them up on a nice tray and take the ratatouille to the table. Peytons eyes go wide the moment I put the plate down. ‘Did you really make me ratatouille?! I haven’t had this in such a long time, I love it.’ Internally I fist pump, that's a two for two on the meal. ‘Did you want some more wine?’ I ask. Peyton takes a moment to think about it. ‘You know what? Why not, I’ll see about getting home later.’ I grab the bottle and pour both of us a healthy glass full. We talk about the script a little, but mostly I’m just watching Peyton enjoy her meal. There is only the strawberries left for the evening and one of the most important questions I have yet to ask. I take the empty plates to the kitchen and with a deep breath in and out I bring the strawberries to the table.  _

‘Those look amazing!’ Luca seems to breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Thanks, Jaylin helped me a bit, gave me the idea for them and stuff.’ I look at them a little bit closer and notice a detail that had to be planned beforehand. ‘Did you really match your clothes to the dessert?’ I ask, laughing. ‘Yes, yes I did. I know it’s stupid’ ‘No! Not at all, I like it, it’s very cute. You’re very cute. She starts blushing. I can tell there is still something she needs to get off her chest. ‘Is there something you wanted to say? Your shoulders seem tense.’ ‘Actually yes, there is.’ She goes silent for a minute. Why does she always do that? Keep me on edge, when all I want is to know what’s on her mind. My thoughts get interrupted. ‘Do you want to be my girlfriend?’


	6. Girlfriend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of THE question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks schatje, for beta reading my work, even at 3 in the morning!

_ There, I said it. Well, I asked her, really. Sweat breaks out on my forehead. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Peyton right? I mean, we both know this is what we want, we just hadn’t made it official yet. Why am I so nervous? My hands start shaking a little. Still no reaction, just a stare off into the distance. ‘Peyton?’ I say gently shaking her from the shock that I apparently put her in. ‘Do you want to take a deep breath with me? Just in and out, in and out.’ It takes a second, but then she takes in a shuddering breath and collapses into my arms.  _

Luca just asked me the question that I’ve wanted her to ask me all those years ago. She is finally committing to actually being mine! I couldn’t be happier. When she puts her hand on my arm, I realize I had stopped breathing. I can only think of one thing to do, so I do it. I fall into her and wrap my arms around her. In doing so, I make her tumble to the ground. That’s where we stay for the next few minutes. ‘Yes’ ‘What?’ She asks. ‘Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend!’ I push myself up a little bit so I can look at Luca’s face. There is a mixture of looks, there is relief, love, happiness. ‘Why are we such messes? The both of us? Why are we so hard on ourselves when we both know that this is what we want? Yet every time I get to see you, I get so nervous I don’t know what to do with myself.’ 

_ I want to give her an answer to the questions she just asked, but before I can even think about my answer she bends down again and gives me one of, if not the most mind blowing kisses of my life. We may be laying on my dining room floor, but everything just feels so right. Like everything that was off just falls into the right space. Everything sits right where it belongs. The thought of ever losing her again jumps to the front of my mind, but I’m so sure about everything that’s happening that I wave it away and focus back on the kissing that’s happening.  _

I see fireworks the moments our lips meet. I know we've kissed before. But there was always just that tiny bit of reservation, of holding back just slightly. But now it’s like all the clichés are finally coming true for me, they finally make sense. I can almost feel the weight of the uncertainty lifting from my shoulders. And I’m pretty sure if I had opened my eyes I would see everything around is in bright technicolor. I pull back from the kiss to look into Luca’s eyes again. There is nothing there but love. And I’m pretty sure my eyes reflect the same exact look. I don’t get very far before she pulls me in again and rolls us over. She slowly starts kissing towards my ear and making her way down my neck. I pull her back up to my lips before we can get carried away. ‘Let’s maybe take this to a slightly less public space?’ I ask her slightly out of breath. She blushes. ‘Oops. Sorry, didn’t really think about that.’ ‘Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me like that! It’s just, I would rather not get caught on their floor, in the view of the doorway by Kacy and Jaylin’ ‘Yeah, no, me neither. Good thing you were paying attention to our surroundings.’ ‘Only just, I was about to let you.’ Luca smiles at me and says: ‘Do you wanna take this to my bedroom? Nothing has to happen, you know maybe except for the making out, but I would really like to sleep with you. Curled up together, you know? I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to make you feel pressured or anything!’ ‘Luca, Luca, LUCA!’ She stops dead in her tracks. ‘I would love to get into bed with you and make out for a bit. I must say I'm pretty tired from the day and the worrying, so I would love nothing more than to get into some pyjamas and have you cuddle up to me, so I can finally get a decent nights sleep again.’ 

_ I smile at that. Here I was, thinking the hardest part of the night was over, with asking her to be my girlfriend. But then I go and have a rant like that? I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through the night without embarrassing myself. I get up and extend my hand to her. I pull her up and all but drag her to my bedroom. When we get to the door I turn around to face her. ‘I was hoping, but not expecting you in here tonight, so please don’t mind the mess.’ Peyton just smiles. ‘I’ve seen your dorm. I know how you can be’ I softly slap her in the arm ‘don’t be mean.’ I turn back around and open the door. I’m quite surprised at the state of my floor. There is not that much happening. I guess I was stress cleaning harder than I thought. I walk over to the dresser and get out shirts and shorts for us to wear. I don’t really pay attention to what I give her, but when I turn back around after changing, she is standing there in my shorts, but with the shirt still in her hands. ‘Something wrong?’ I ask her. ‘This is mine. I thought I lost this all those years ago.’ A guilty smile washes over my face. ‘I couldn’t sleep one night so I put it on, I guess I never gave it back, I’m sorry.’ ‘You keep apologizing, don’t do that, we both did things and said things, okay.’ ‘Okay’ ‘I’m mostly honored you would keep it this long anyway.’ It was already starting to fade when you stole it from me.’ ‘I guess the thought of having a part of you close to me always made me feel better’  _

I almost start crying at the admission, but I reign in the tears and pull the shirt on before crawling into bed. Luca gets in from the other side and curls up on my chest again. I guess we really are tired. I feel her put a kiss to the underside of my jaw before curling up again, her arm over my waist and her head on my heart. ‘Goodnight Luca’ ‘Goodnight’ I close my eyes and for the first time since leaving the cabin I’m almost completely at ease. I just have to tackle this little thing called VIP. But those are worries for tomorrow. I squeeze Luca closer to me and descend into dreamland. 


	7. Waking up together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> O.M.G. It's the morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Thank you for everybody that's still reading! Hope you enjoy this new (short-ish) chapter, I've got a bunch more planned out. :D

As I wake up, I’m slightly disoriented. I feel warm in some places, and slightly chilly in others. There is a weight on my chest that I’m not used to feeling lately. I slowly open my eyes, afraid that it might once again be a dream. But as I go to move my arm, I realize that there really is someone in bed with me. I look down and see a head of blond hair. Luca. I tighten my arm around her and just lay there thinking about the night before. A smile makes its way onto my face. All the thought she put behind the dinner. The big question. The actual sleeping together. I’m so lost in thought I hadn’t even noticed she woke up, but then she lifts her head and I’m pulled from my head. ‘Hi’, I hear a sleepy voice say. I look down and there she is, once again watching me. ‘How did you sleep?’ ‘It was okay. I had a nice pillow, she just moved around a bit.’ I laugh as I realize she is talking about her head being on my chest the whole night. She lightly squeezes my side. ‘Did you want some breakfast? Or did you want to go home, maybe stay in bed a little longer?’ I sigh, ‘I don’t know. Can we just relax here for a little bit longer? I’m cozy. ‘Of course we can.’ She lays back down, but I can feel that there is something she has to get off her chest before she can actually relax again. ‘You seem tense, what’s on your mind?’ ‘It’s nothing really’ ‘It’s not nothing if I can almost hear your brain going a million miles an hour!’    
  
  
_ There she goes again, reading my mind like she always has. The last bit of doubt still lingers in the back of my mind. I know she said yes and I know I slept like a dream for the first time in a long while. I'm so glad she's right here, in my bed, where I can just cuddle up to her and for just a moment, not think about anything in the outside world. 'I was just thinking about how I'm feeling just a little anxious about everything and I guess I'm wondering how you're feeling. I mean I know you said yes and all, but like..' I get stopped mid sentence by her lips on mine.  _

'Sorry, it's just, you needed to stop talking and I figured I'm allowed to do that now, so….' The smile that takes over her face as I finish speaking is the cutest. A slight blush creeps up on her cheeks. ' I'm okay. I had a moment to think while you were still snoring away on me.' At that she pokes me in the gut. 'I don't snore!' 'Hey! No poking of the girlfriend!' We both freeze. She starts giggling and there is nothing I can do but join in. It feels very freeing, it's like all the doubts and insecurities just fly away. I pull her into me again, just because I can. 

_ We just lay in bed making out. It’s the greatest feeling ever! There is no pressure to do anything, say anything or go anywhere. At some point we drift apart a little. I lay my head back down on her chest and squeeze my arms around her. ‘Would you like some breakfast? Or are you not ready to face those two out there?’ She chuckles, ‘I guess I could eat.’ Her stomach rumbles as to give us the answer we need. ‘Well, that settles it. You stay here, I’ll go and make us some eggs.’ ‘No, that’s okay, I’ll come with you. You don’t have to face the music on your own.’ I give her one more squeeze and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Peyton hangs onto me, not letting me get up. I bend back down and give her another kiss, she lets me go and gets up too. When we get to the kitchen Kacie and Jaylin are there sitting with their arms crossed, knowing smiles on their faces. ‘You had a good night than?’ Peyton's face goes bright red the moment Kacie finishes her sentence. ‘Don’t tease her like that.’ Jaylin says. ‘Look at her, she looks like a firetruck!’ _

‘I hate you guys! But thank you for caring.’ Luca and I tackle the both of them in a hug. ‘Did you have breakfast yet?’ ‘No, do you want to go out? Have a double date?’ ‘Sure, let’s get dressed and get some brunch!’ Luca and I walk back to her room. As she closes the door, she pulls me into her arms and kisses the life out of me. ‘Thank you and also: don’t mind them. I did the exact same thing to them when they started dating’ ‘I know, I know, you know it’s going to be the same thing when Victor and Isabelle find out right?’ She buries her head in my neck. ‘We’ll get there when we get there’, I feel more than I hear her say. She lets go of me and starts getting dressed. I just stand there for a second, looking at her with a smile on my face. As if she feels me staring at her, she turns around and winks.  __


	8. Our Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Brunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, one year since episode 1 of The Fortnight dropped! And all of us became fans instantly, right? I know I did, which is why I started writing this story. Cory and all involved, a very deserved congratulations on this anniversary! 
> 
> This is just a shorter filler chapter, but I couldn't let this day pass without using some new words and lines, could I ?!

We decide to all pile into one car, mine, to go to brunch. The moment we get inside Luca spots my aux-cord and proceeds to plug in her phone. I look over and see her furiously scrolling through her Spotify. 

_Where is it? Where is the song I want to play her. I know when I put it on she will know what I mean….. There! I found it!_

I think she finds whatever it is she’s looking for, because a very familiar song starts playing. Blink-182, she would do that. If there ever was a song that semi perfectly described me and us, this would be the one. She smiles at me, she knows how much this song means to me. I crack a smile too and reach over the center console to grab her hand. Like the song says: ‘ **Is it cool if I hold your hand** ’ 

_I hoped she would listen to the lyrics, I mean, not that she doesn’t know them by heart, just like I do, but still. I get this giddy feeling when her hand touches mine. You know that drawing by Michelangelo? The one with the four armed and four legged person? When Peyton and I are touching that’s what it feels like. Like I’m finally complete. Like I’m right where I belong. I felt it a decade ago, I felt it again at the cabin and then agaín last night. I know we figured out that we’re on the same page, but oh my god, is she feeling what I’m feeling right this second? I hope so, but even just thinking about it turns me into a nervous wreck. I feel her squeeze my hand. I must have zoned out. ‘Are you okay over there? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!’ ‘I’m okay, I’m just, I don’t know.’ ‘Shh, it’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. We can talk about it later when we get back home.’ She rubs her thumb over the top of my hand in a calming gesture. And it does calm my panicked brain a little. How does she do that? How does she always know what to say?! I’m amazed._

She squeezes my hand back and gets a bashful smile on her face. When we get to the brunch place I realize the backseat has been very quiet the whole way there. I look in my rearview mirror and have to suppress a full belly laugh at the scene in the backseat. Jaylin has their head on Kacie’s shoulder, while Kacie has her neck bent backwards, lightly snoring. Luca turns in her seat to see what I’m looking at. ‘Fun night I think’ she says. At this I can no longer hold my laughter inside. They both jerk awake. ‘Who, what, where?!’ Jaylin shouts. Our laughter only gets louder. Kacie and Jaylin both get a scowl on their face. We jump out of the car and start walking toward the café ‘Cheer up guys’ Luca says. ‘We will get you some mimosas! That will get you smiling again.’ I link my arm through Luca’s arm and slide my hand down to hold hers. 

_‘Oow smooth, you practiced that?’ I wink and bump her hip with mine and she ducks her head with a blush. During brunch I can barely keep my eyes off of Peyton. Kacie and Jaylin start asking all sorts of questions about the last few weeks. About our time at the cabin and the dates we’ve been on since. We enjoy our brunch, some fried eggs, avocado toast, delightful coffee and of course the mimosas I promised Kacie and Jaylin earlier. After a nice walk down the boulevard, we head back home to continue hanging out there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for allowing me to keep playing with the characters so close to your heart! We are on the bus and (not so) patiently waiting to see what the future will bring.  
> Happy #Fortnightversary


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